Dreams
by Hourglass Sand
Summary: Akane gets fed up with Ranma, and leaves with a small group of teens to experience life at its fullest!


  
  
The Dreams Team  
  
Akane walked down the street silently thinking over her day. The sun was setting made the sky turn a brilliant deep red as Akane stopped to observe it. This was the anniversary of the day her Mother had died.  
  
"I wish you were still here Mom, there's so many things I don't understand..." Akane sighed softly to herself, the breeze gently pushing her hair out of her face. Akane frowned as she remembered how her day had gone. Needless to say, it wasn't to good. She had vowed to herself, that today, out of memory of her Mother, she would not fight at all. Naturally, Ranma had almost made her break that promise as soon as she had stepped out of her bedroom this morning.  
  
***Flashback***  
  
"What's wrong with your face, Tomboy? You're even MORE uncute with those blotchy cheeks!" Ranma stated, glancing at her with a disgusted expression. Normally, he would immediately have had a little 'meeting' with Mallet- sama, but this day, Akane just shook her head and walked to the bathroom to splash some cold water on her face. She had cried a little bit that morning, and had hoped she could get to the bathroom before anyone noticed. No such luck. Ranma always seemed to be there when she DIDN'T want him around, but never around lately just when she needed him.  
  
***End Flashback***  
  
Akane rolled her eyes. Had she really expected him to understand how she felt? She doubted he even knew what today was. She leaned against a nearby tree as the sun sunk lower over the horizon. She knew that behind her, the other side of the sky was dark, and the North Star was probably shining beautifully, but just for a minute, she watched as the larger star before her lit up the sky with beautiful colors, bathing her and everything else in a scarlet glow.  
  
On a sudden impulse she looked around her, and was shocked to see no less than five other teens her age also watching the sunset. There was a boy standing on the roof of a house a block away from her with his hands in his pockets and a distant expression on his face, a girl sitting on the grass beside a river a few dozen feet in front of her with her arms wrapped around her knees, watching the sun, another boy standing in the doorway of a home just in front of her and on her right ten feet away, leaning on the doorframe seeming to seek support, a girl in the second story window of a house on Akane's other side, pressing her palms against the glass and looking at the sunset with a yearning expression, and finally another boy just standing in the middle of the street with his arms crossed a little further down from the house, face expressionless.  
  
The other kids suddenly looked around also, them and Akane just staring at eachother for a minute, before the girl by the river gave a tentive wave of her hand. The rest of them hesitated for a second, before they all simultaneously went down and sat with the girl beside the river, watching in silence as the sun finally made its way out of sight.  
  
None of them said anything for a few minutes, but then the same girl gave a half-smile, and held out her hand, stating, " Ahsila Fumetsu." Akane looked at her and realized she had the brightest red-orange hair she had ever seen. Not to mention the brightest green eyes.  
  
Akane gave a half-smile also, and shook her hand, replying, "Akane Tendo." Ahsila looked at Akane's chocolate brown eyes with slight surprise, then her smile widened as she shook her hand.  
  
"Tensai Tekko." the boy who had been standing in the doorway said, giving them all a hesitant smile. His hair was, to Akane's surprise, a silvery white, and his eyes where a reddish pink. 'Albino!' Akane thought with surprise, and gave him a soft smile.  
  
"Ai'iro Tenmado." said the teen who had been on the roof, looking at them with a wary expression. His hair was a velvety blue, Akane noticed, that brought out his golden eyes with a sort of defiance, making her grin.  
  
"Damaru Yurushi." the boy who had been standing in the street told them flatly, face betraying no emotion. His hair and eyes were both a deep ebony black, almost making Akane shiver. But for some reason, she just couldn't bring herself to be afraid of him, and smiled at him as well.  
  
"N-Nigeru Tetsudai," the girl who had been at the window stuttered, not meeting any of their eyes. Her hair was a deep forest green, and her eyes were a startling violet. Akane smiled, and took her hand, shaking it as well, making the girl start and blush.  
  
They were all quiet after that again, before the silence was broken by distant voices calling out. They all stood as if on a silent signal, and looked at eachother again, not quite knowing what to do. They all felt a strange attraction to eachother, though they couldn't explain why.  
  
"You know..... There's another sunset tomorrow." Ahsila said, looking at all of them hopefully. Akane smiled, realizing what she was saying.  
  
"Yes.... I suppose there is." She chuckled softly, turning to look at the others. They all nodded, and Nigeru and Tensai both smiled. Ahsila smiled gratefully at all of them, and the voices called again.  
  
"Ja ne!" Ahsila called, running away with a wave.  
  
The rest of the teens also split up, going back to their respective homes, all feeling happier than they had in a while for some reason.  
  
*************************************  
  
Akane walked in the door of the dojo, slipping off her shoes and setting them neatly beside the door. Akane couldn't help the small smile that came to her lips.  
  
'I can't help but feel... that we all need eachother somehow.' Akane thought, remember the five new faces that had come into her life recently.  
  
'I wonder if the others feel the same way...'  
  
*************************************  
  
The next day the six of them got together again to watch the sunset. It had been a chore and a half to loose Ranma, who was curious to see where Akane was 'sneaking off to', but she had finally done it, and felt calm and relaxed, just sitting there with Ahsila, Tensai, Nigeru, Damaru, and Ai'iro in silence. It was like they were all drawing strength from eachother.  
  
"Do you guys ever feel like you're caged in? Like there's a wall surrounding you that you need to break through, but you don't have the strength to yet?" a soft voice suddenly asked, startling all of them. They all turned to see that it was Nigeru that had spoken. She was looking at the setting sun, eyes unfocused. Suddenly she seemed to snap out of it.  
  
"Oh! Forgive me that was very rude of me! I should not have asked such a personal thing." she gasped, blushing and jumping back, hurriedly bowing to them for forgiveness.  
  
They all looked at her for a second, before Ai'iro and Ahsila both sighed, replying, "Yes."  
  
"All the time." Akane added, with a rueful grin.  
  
"And you feel like you're going to die if you don't do something about it soon?" Tensai groaned, running a hand through his hair.  
  
"Well, what do you plan to do about it?" another voice suddenly demanded, this one lower with some gruffness to it. They all turned to Damaru, blinking.  
  
"Well, what CAN we do about it? We're just kids, and my parents for one, would rather put me on a leash in the yard than let me go anywhere." Tensai said, shrugging in defeat.  
  
"And what about money? You need cash to go anywhere, and I'm flat broke." Ai'iro put in, slouching down with his hands in his pockets, scowling.  
  
"There's also school." Ahsila sighed. "You can't just suddenly go anywhere you please, if we don't finish our schooling, we won't have a future."  
  
"And I have to take care of my brothers and sisters." Nigeru explained softly, eyes lowered to the ground.  
  
"A training trip."  
  
Tensai, Ai'iro, Ahsila and Nigeru all blinked in surprise once more, turning towards Akane, who was sitting with her back ramrod straight, eyes narrowed and locked on the setting sun.  
  
"A training trip?" Tensai repeated, as if he didn't think he had heard her correctly.  
  
"Other martial artists go on them all the time, to get stronger. That's the only way I'm going to be able to get out of here. Other than run, and that's not gonna happen." Akane stated, never taking her challenging gaze from the sun.  
  
"What about money?" Damaru said, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow.  
  
"I'll do odd jobs wherever I stop, and camp out." Akane snapped, now turning her burning gaze at Damaru.  
  
"What about school and family?" he pressed, seeming to be trying to stop her.  
  
"It won't hurt me that bad if I take some books with me and pick things up as I go, and both my sisters can take care of themselves." Akane replied, now with her hands balled into fists. The other four were just watching the two of them, heads swinging back and forth like it was a ping-pong match.  
  
"You parents will try to stop you." he told her, eyes narrowing to match her own gaze.  
  
"My mother died when I was a child, and my father taught me the arts, he SHOULD be happy I want to pursue it. If not," Akane's eyes narrowed into a full glare, " I can always offer a trade."  
  
"How about defending yourself, huh? What are you gonna do if you get attacked?" Damaru snorted, looking at her critically.  
  
"I can take care of myself." Akane snarled at him, teeth bared, looking ready to attack him herself, but she was able to control her temper.  
  
"You'll be alone. Completely, for the better part of your trip. You honestly think you're brave enough to handle that?" Damaru asked, his face clearly showing that he thought she was weak.  
  
"I don't care if I can or not, I'll MAKE myself handle it. I'd rather risk being killed out there than dying in HERE, trapped like some sort of ANIMAL!" Akane yelled, leaping to her feet.  
  
"If you just wait a few years, you wouldn't have nearly as much trouble. Why not wait?" he reasoned, spreading out his hands.  
  
"I'm not waiting any longer." Akane stated, voice flat with resolution. She turned towards her house, mind set in determination. She didn't care what it took, as long as she got out.  
  
"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Damaru suddenly said, also standing with a smirk on his face.  
  
Akane turned to him and raised both her eyebrows, adrenaline still pumping through her veins at her sudden decision, asking, "Excuse me, 'WE'?"  
  
"You know, if you need someone to take care of your brothers and sisters, my Mom's got a soft spot for kids, seems not to like the older kids though. I don't think she'd mind the extra company with her only son gone." Ai'iro mused, straightening and looking at Nigeru in contemplation.  
  
"And if you guys were worried about school, I guess I could tutor you, I can wait until next year to go to college." Tensai said, tapping his chin with a thoughtful expression.  
  
Ahsila choked, and turned to him with wide eyes, exclaiming, "College?! But you can't be more than two years older of the rest of us!"  
  
"I've been home-schooled my whole life, my parents worked fast." Tensai told her with a cocky grin. Ahsila whistled in awe, then chewed on her lower lip for a second while she thought.  
  
"Ai'iro, if your mother needed some help with taking care of Nigeru's family, I could always lend you guys some money, and as for the 'training trip', it wouldn't be a problem for me to finance that either, if Tensai showed my parents his qualifications and agreed to teach all of us while we're away." she said, nodding her head to herself as she did some silent calculations.  
  
"And if Tensai's parents need reassurance that he'd be well taken care of, I could always come with him to talk to them. I've worked with the local law enforcement for a few years, though the pay isn't that great." Nigeru said softly, wincing at the last part, but starting to seem excited none- the-less.  
  
"Hey, we might actually be able to pull this off! And while we're on this trip, Akane could teach us all some Martial Arts!" Tensai exclaimed, grinning at Akane, who was staring at them all open-mouthed.  
  
"*Hmph* I'm already educated in THAT department." Ai'iro sniffed, but was also begining to grin.  
  
"Woah, woah, who said YOU guys were coming?!" Akane exclaimed, sounding more surprised than angry.  
  
"Well, this is convenient, I was looking for some traveling companions. And if it's TRAINING you want, Miss Tendo, I'm sure we can find something." Damaru said with a bored expression, but his eyes were glittering in silent laughter.  
  
"Hey, are you guys LISTENING to me?!" Akane demanded, planting her hands on her hips.  
  
"Well, it solves all of our problems! We all get our freedom, at least for a period of time, and YOU don't have to travel alone!" Ai'iro said, smiling at her innocently along with Ahsila and Tensai.  
  
"We'll have to work this systematically. We'll try to persuade all of our families by the end of the week. Tensai and I are first, since we'll need the money and education more than anything, then comes Ai'iro and Nigeru, or you guys can do it tonight too, doesn't matter. Then we can all bombard Akane's family, since she seems to think she'll have the hardest time, and Damaru doesn't seem to need anyone's permission." Ahsila said, ticking off each of their names on her fingers.  
  
"Sounds like a plan! Let's all meet back here tomorrow afternoon, since it'll be a Friday, and we can begin. Don't forget to pack lots of warm clothes you guys!" Tensai laughed, smiling widely as he stood up to leave.  
  
"All right, all right, I give. Tomorrow afternoon." Akane muttered to herself, missing the other teen's grins before they all went their separate ways.  
  
'What have I gotten myself into now?' Akane wondered with a sigh as she walked back to her family's dojo to get a good nights rest.  
  
*************************************  
  
"Akane! Where the heck have ya been?!" Ranma demanded as soon as she stepped into the dojo. Akane groaned inwardly, wanting dearly to mallet him.  
  
"Where I've been in none of your business, Ranma. Get out of my way." Akane growled at him.  
  
"Akane! Don't speak that way to him, after all, he IS your fiancé!" Soun scolded her, appearing out of nowhere.  
  
"Not by choice!" Akane exclaimed, glaring at her father accusingly.  
  
"Never-the-less, you two ARE going to get married, so why not try to get along?" Genma stated, popping up beside his friend.  
  
Akane clenched her teeth and fists, looking at them all with flashing eyes. Her father and the Satomes started to look a little worried.  
  
'Three days, just three more days...' Akane told herself, forcing her eyes shut, and taking a few calming breathes that even to herself, sounded ragged. To the three men's surprise, she turned around and walked to the dojo without a backwards glance, back rigid.  
  
"What's HER problem?" Ranma asked loudly, looking frustrated.  
  
"Son! It is your duty to go make sure she's okay!" Genma suddenly said, shoving him in the direction Akane had just gone.  
  
"Why do I have to go check on that Tomboy?!" Ranma grumbled, but walked down the hall when both fathers shot him a look.  
  
He raised his hand to open the door, but froze when he heard two voices.  
  
"Ahsila, what are you doing here?!" Ranma heard Akane ask someone, surprised.  
  
"I'm sorry Akane, but I was wondering if I could stay at your place tonight. You see, when I got home a while ago, my parents were- were fighting. And I just couldn't stay there! I was walking, and- and I saw that this was the Tendo's school, and wanted to see if you were here. I wouldn't bother anyone, honest! I'm not a late sleeper either, I could be out here before anyone woke up, I'd just need a pillow and a few blankets-" Ranma heard a girl's voice that he didn't recognize start to ramble hysterically, then she was interrupted by Akane.  
  
"Sure, don't worry about it, Ahsila! Friends gotta be there for eachother, right?" she stated, and Ranma could almost HEAR the smile in her voice.  
  
There was a sigh of relief, and the other voice said, "Thanks, 'Kane. I'm glad we're friends, I just couldn't stay there."  
  
"Don't worry about it. I'll grab a futon and you can stay in my room. Come on!" Akane told her cheerfully, and Ranma heard footsteps coming towards the door. With lack of better idea, he jumped up and clung to the ceiling as Akane and her friend walked out.  
  
*************************************  
  
"So, you really plan on leaving with all of us?" Ahsila asked, as she and Akane walked out of the dojo.  
  
"I don't really have a choice! Don't worry though, my Dad will be all for it." Akane told her with a grin, confident.  
  
Ahsila sighed, and shook her head, saying, "I just hope my parents will be as supporting. When they find out we'll be traveling with three boys we just met, they're gonna hit the roof."  
  
"Oh come on, Tensai, Ai'iro and Damaru don't seem so bad. I'm pretty sure we can trust them." Akane told her with a reassuring smile.  
  
Ahsila looked at her out of the corner of her eye, asking, "Why are you so willing to trust all of us? To trust me? I mean, I'd trust you guys with my life, though I don't know why. We just met yesterday." Akane put her hands behind her head and stopped, looking at the floor in contemplation.  
  
"I don't really know. I just have this feeling, like we need eachother. To be completely honest, I can't for the life of me understand why I'm so willing to trust the girls, much less the guys. I'm famous for hating all male creatures with a passion. And yet here I am, planning on going on a training trip with three of them? It doesn't make sense." she finally answered.  
  
Ahsila laughed nervously, and rubbed the back of her neck, saying, "Er, yeah. I can kinda see where you're coming from. I'm usually classified as a 'snob'. Nobody's been good enough for me before, but here I am, treating all of you like equals, and even coming to you for help! I'D say it's weird all right."  
  
Akane giggled as the two of them went up to her room, switching the conversation topic to favorite foods and music along the way.  
  
*************************************  
  
Ranma dropped to the floor as soon as they walked into the house, anger flashing across his face.  
  
'What the heck does she think she's doing?! She can't travel with other men! We're engaged! And just WHEN was she planning on telling me this, huh?! In a letter after she's been gone for a few weeks?!' Ranma growled inside his head, standing up with his fists clenched.  
  
"We'll see who wins THIS one, Akane." Ranma vowed in a growl.  
  
*************************************  
  
"Sis!" a little girl with grass green hair and lavender eyes called as Nigeru walked back in her house.  
  
"Hey Marril! Have you been a good girl while I was gone?" she asked, kneeling down and patting the girl on the head.  
  
As soon as she closed the door, there was a yell of, "NIGERU'S HOME!" and seven more children, varying from ages five to thirteen came barreling into the entry hall, hugging their sister in 'hello's.  
  
"Where were you?" a thirteen year old boy with bright green hair and purple eyes asked her, standing off to the side with crossed arms, obviously trying to look 'mature'.  
  
"Just saying hello to some friends, Roko." Nigeru told him with a small reassuring smile. The boy immediately returned it, and rushed into the group, tackling hs sister with a bear hug.  
  
"I'm glad! You need to make more friends, Nigeru. You can't stay here forever." Roko told his older sister, looking at her with serious eyes. Nigeru gave him a soft smile, and patted him on the head as well.  
  
"That's something I need to talk to all of you about," Nigeru started, suddenly biting her lip. "These friends invited me to go on a trip with them, but I don't know when I'd be back." she explained looking worried.  
  
"Go." Marril and Roko both said immediately with solemn faces. They seemed to be the spokesmen for the rest of the children, who all nodded with just as serious faces.  
  
"Nigeru, you deserve to be with kids your own age. You can always write us, right? Besides, I'm thirteen now. I can take care of everyone." Roko told her, puffing out his chest in pride.  
  
Nigeru chuckled, and said softly, "Yes, I suppose you can." Marril slipped her hand into Nigeru's and looked up at her with innocent eyes rimmed with love.  
  
"You sound happy when you talk about your new friends, Sis. We'll be happy if you're happy." she told her, crawling into her mother/sister's lap and hugging her with tiny arms.  
  
"Thanks you guys." Nigeru said, looking at all of her brothers and sisters with tear filled eyes and smiling, a second later being buried in loving hugs by her family.  
  
"We love you Nigeru!!!" they all cried, tears in their own eyes as well.  
  
*************************************  
  
"Ai'iro, where the heck have you been?!" a woman snapped as soon as the blue-haired boy stepped through the door.  
  
"Talking with some kids. Listen, how would you like to get rid of me for a while?" Ai'iro asked, getting straight to the point.  
  
"What's the catch?" his mother asked, smirking with her arms crossed.  
  
"You take care of a friend's little brothers and sisters while we're gone, someone else will pay for the food and other things, you just need to look after them." he told her, opting a similar stance.  
  
The woman put a finger on her chin, letting out a small 'Hmmm...'. "Fine." she finally said, "But you have to write me a letter once every week. Just so I know where you are and what's going on." Ai'iro raised an eyebrow at this.  
  
"Why would you care?" he asked her flatly.  
  
"Just humor me, if you want to go." she replied, rolling her eyes.  
  
"Done." Ai'iro stated, and they shook on it.  
  
"So how long will you be gone?" she asked, turning to begin hanging up the wash again.  
  
"Maybe a few months, maybe a couple years. Don't know, depends." he told her, sounding non-chalant.  
  
His mother froze for a second, before lowering her hands. "I see..." she said slowly. She turned to face him with a stern expression, and said, "You will be coming home for any major holidays. That's the only other condition." Ai'iro nearly fell from shock. He had thought she'd be glad to be rid of him forever!  
  
"Um, okay." he said, looking at her strangely. She just nodded, and turned again, hanging up the wash still as Ai'iro left the room. When she heard the door shut, she looked back with a sad expression on her face.  
  
"Be careful, Ai'iro. You're all I've got left."  
  
*************************************  
  
Tensai slipped in the back door of his house and up to his room without so much as making a sound.  
  
"Tensai? You asleep?" his mother asked a few minutes later just as he changed out of his grass stained clothes.  
  
"No Mother. Did you need something?" he asked innocently.  
  
"Yes. An explanation of where you've been until now." She replied coldly. Tensai winced.  
  
"Mom, you can't keep me locked in the house 24/7!" he said, clenching his fists.  
  
"I just don't want you to be called a freak by other children!" his mother stated, looking indignant.  
  
"Apparently YOU'RE the only one who thinks I'm a freak. No one else minds what I look like." Tensai said softly, not looking at her.  
  
CRACK! His mother slapped him. "Don't you EVER say that again! And don't talk back to me, I'm your mother! I love you more than anyone else EVER could!"  
  
"You're WRONG! I met some other kids, and they like me just the way I am! In fact, they want me to go n a training trip with them, and I'm going!" Tensai yelled at her, eyes hurt but determined.  
  
"Out of the question. You're going to college soon. You don't have time for little whims." His Mother answered flatly, turning to leave.  
  
"I'm going with or without your approval."  
  
She froze, and turned around slowly, looking at her son who was standing there in a defiant stance.  
  
"How DARE you." she growled, and walked back over to him, raising her hand to slap him again, but as she brought her arm down Tensai caught her wrist tightly in his hand. Her eyes widened and Tensai began talking to her in a low, firm tone.  
  
"Listen. These kids like me. They're even a little impressed by my education, which I have you to thank for. Did you know, I'm nearly seventeen and I haven't even been past the hospital I was born at down the street? That's no way for a young man to live. You've never let me more than two blocks away. I'm not a defenseless child, and you can't run my life for me anymore. I need to make my own choices. I'm leaving on a training trip with my friends at the end of this week, and I may be gone for as long as a year. There is nothing you can do to keep me here anymore. I'm past feeling guilty, there is nothing I have done wrong. I don't hate you Mom, I love you. But I need to live my life for myself. Don't you understand?" Tensai looked at his Mother pleadingly, and nearly cried himself at the tears in her eyes.  
  
"I know Tensai, I know. I was just afraid it would come too soon." She answered softly, and he let go. She gave him a shaky smile, and said even more softly, "Well, let's make the most of the time we have left, son. I hear there's a beautiful park in the next town over, feel like visiting it with your Mom?"  
  
Tensai smiled and hugged her, whispering, "Thank you."  
  
The next morning Akane woke up, and was confused to find herself on a futon on the floor in the dojo instead of in her bed.  
  
"What the-?" she started to murmur, and blinked when she heard someone else say the exact same thing. She looked to her side, and saw Ahsila sitting up on another futon next to hers.  
  
"Good morning." Ahsila chuckled after she had rubbed her eyes a few times and remembered where she was.  
  
"Good morning to you too. What time is it?" Akane asked with a yawn.  
  
"Just about breakfast time. Would you and your friend like to eat out here or at the table?" a voice from the door of the dojo asked. Both girls whirled around, and breathed a sigh of relief when they saw it was only Kasumi, Akane's older sister.  
  
"Um, maybe out here? I don't really want Daddy to know I had someone spend the night without him knowing." Akane answered sheepishly.  
  
"No problem. Be right back." Kasumi said cheerfully with a smile, and left, shortly after coming back with two trays of food in her hands. Both girls dove in hungrily, and Ahsila praised the older girl's wonderful cooking.  
  
"It's really nothing. You're welcome to come over and eat anytime." Kasumi offered kindly, making Ahsila flush and stammer about not wanting to be a bother.  
  
"Now, would you both mind telling me why our guest here was sleeping in the dojo?" Kasumi asked, sitting down and looking at the two girls patiently. Akane and Ahsila hesitantly told Kasumi the whole story, making her put the tip of her finger to her chin in thought.  
  
"How do you plan on getting Daddy to let you go, Akane-chan?" she asked, looking thoughtful.  
  
Akane sighed, and answered, "First, I'm going to go after his family pride. Tell him how I need to train to better myself in order to be a proper heir. If that doesn't work." Akane sighed and bowed her head. "I will agree to marry Ranma when I get back from the trip."  
  
"You're not taking Ranma with you?" Kasumi asked, eyebrows knitting together in concern.  
  
"The group is nearly completely beginners. From the sound of this guy, he'd just be bored out of his skull." Ahsila said, rolling his eyes.  
  
"We'll probably be teaching ourselves things HE learned at eight." Akane snorted, lips pursing in annoyance.  
  
"But how will you protect yourselves if you get in trouble?" Kasumi persisted, looking worried.  
  
"I get the feeling Damaru will be there to protect us." Ahsila said with a chuckle. "He seems like a tough cookie."  
  
"That's for sure. He was actually the one who kind of convinced me to go to begin with. Kept on giving me reasons why I couldn't do it." Akane laughed, and Kasumi joined in.  
  
"Well, if all of these children seem trustworthy, I don't see why you shouldn't go." Kasumi said, tapping her chin again.  
  
"Do you think you could help me convince father?" Akane asked pleadingly, clasping her hands together.  
  
Kasumi stood up, gathering the dishes, and simply stated, "I'll see what I can do." Before leaving. 


End file.
